The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A team of aboriginal dancers from northern Manitoba racked up two major achievements last week. Sagkeeng's Finest _ made up of Dallas and Brandon Courchene, and Vince O'Laney _ was crowned the champion of the CTV show Canada's Got Talent. The high from the Monday victory had not worn off Thursday when Premier Greg Selinger officially inducted the trio into Manitoba's Order of the Buffalo Hunt. 'Vince, Dallas and Brandon have inspired Canadians young and old with their electrifying live performances that are bringing traditional dance to an entirely new audience,' said Selinger. 'Sagkeeng's Finest are also Manitoba's finest and I'm pleased to recognize their achievement by inducting them into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt.' The Order of the Buffalo Hunt was founded in 1957 to recognize the outstanding and distinctive contributions of leaders in areas such as politics, business, sports and entertainment. The members of Sagkeeng's Finest are believed to be the youngest members ever inducted into the Order. From the Sagkeeng First Nation, the teenage dancers broke into the mainstream on Canada's Got Talent, where their unique fusion of traditional jigging, clogging and tap dancing earned nationwide acclaim. Their first-place victory gave them the top prize of $100,000, a trip to Tobago, a sports car, a chance to perform in Las Vegas and an appearance at a televised New Year's Eve party. 'These young men are keeping the strong artistic traditions of Aboriginal people alive through hard work, determination and creativity,' said Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson. 'What they are doing to make traditional Aboriginal dance exciting and relevant to a contemporary mainstream Canadian audience is nothing short of remarkable. 'All Manitobans can be proud of what these talented young men from Sagkeeng have accomplished. We've always known that many of Canada's most exciting up-and-coming performers come from right here in Manitoba and now the rest of Canada knows it too.' Sagkeeng's Finest will also be performing at the nationally-televised seventh annual Manito Ahbee Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards Nov. 2 at the MTS Centre. _ Compiled from Government of Manitoba news releases
